Shoulder-brace.



No. 665,688. Patented lan. 8, |90I. R. HDLLEM.

SHUULDER BRACE. mpplimion mea sept. 11,v 1900.1 (lo Nudel.) n 2Sheets-Shoe! I.

Yu: Ncnms PETERS co., Pncammn, wAsHmmoN. n. c4

UNITED STATES RUDOLPH HOLLEM, OF SIOUX CITY, IOWA.

SHOULDER-BRACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 665,688, dated January8, 1901.

Application led September 1'7, 1900. Serial No. 30,214. o model.)

T0 all whom, t may concern,.-

Beit known that I, RUDOLPH HOLLEM, a citizen of the United States,residing at Sioux City, in the county of Woodbury and State of Iowa,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shoulder-Braces;and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My present invention has for its object to provide an improvedshoulder-brace of small cost and which while efcient for the purposeshad in View will be agreeable to the wearer.

To the above ends my invention consists of the novel devices andcombinations of devices hereinafter described, and defined in theclaims. A

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein likecharacters indicate like parts throughout the several Views.

Figure l is a perspective view showing my improved shoulder-braceapplied in working position on the body of a man. Fig. 2 is a plan view,on an enlarged scale, showing the complete shoulder-brace removed fromworking position; and Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are detailed views in plan,showing a portion of the shoulder-brace and illustrating differentstages in its manufacture. i

The numeral l indicates the shoulderstraps, the ends of which aresecured to a rectangular coupling 2, one end of each strap being doubledover the same and adj ustably securable to the body of the strap bybuckles or fastenings 3. Each strap thus forms an adjustable loopthrough which the arms of the wearer are passed. At points where thestraps l come under the armpits they are sewed together, as indicated at4, to form tubular sections 5. To maintain the tubular form of thesections 5 and at the same time to leave them flexible, light coiledsprings G are sewed or otherwise secured within the said tubularsections 5. Other forms of springspacers or spacing devices may besubstituted for the coil-spring 6. For instance, instead of the coiledspring a flexible wovenwire tube might be employed. They must beiiexible and elastic in order to permit the section 5 to adjust itselfto the Wearers arm. They must be self-sustaining, so that they willprevent the sections 5 from becoming fiattened or from losing theirapproximately round cross-section, and they should have end and lateralopenings, so as to afford good ventilation.

When the device is properly applied, as shown in Fig. l, the entire drawagainst the arms comes against the rounded or tubular sections 5 of thestraps l and cutting, such as might be occasioned by an edge or sharperpart, is prevented'. Y

Another very im portant function performed by the tubular strap-sections5 and spacing device for retaining in form is that of ventilators. Thesaid tubular sections permit of the free circulation of air, thuspreventing excessive perspiration, with the result that the device isagreeableA and cool to wear.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates, is as follows:

l. In a shoulder-brace, the combination with shoulder-straps havingtubular arm-engaging sections with open ends, of flexible tubular wirespacers having also open ends, which spacers are secured within thetubular sections of said straps, substantially as described.

Y2. In a shoulder-brace, the combination with the straps l sewedtogether at 4, to form the open-ended tubular sections 5, of the coiledsprings 6 placed within said tubular sections 5, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

RUDOLPH HOLLEM.

Witnesses:

JOSEPH L. KITER, DANA MONROE.

